Box Score KIRKSVILLE, Mo – The Ashland University women's volleyball team opened the season with a 3-1 win against Winona State this morning at the Truman State Days Inn Bulldog Invitational.
After losing the first set 25-21, Ashland rallied, winning sets two and three by just two points. The Eagles soared past the Warriors in the fourth set, 25-14.
Ashland came out in the first set taking the early lead, the Eagles started with four unanswered points, eventually taking an 8-2 lead over Winona State. The Warriors began to make up ground after Ashland scored its ninth point. At that stage of the match, Winona State tallied four consecutive points.
Kate Eckels (Loveland, Ohio / Mount Notre Dame) broke the streak from a set by Crystal Elliott (Canal Winchester, Ohio / Canal Winchester) making the score 10-7 in the Eagles' favor. After being tied at 11-11, Ashland picked up two quick points off attack errors from the Warriors. Winona State won the next four rallies until Brittany Snider (Olmsted Falls, Ohio / Olmsted Falls) added a point for Ashland with one of her 15 kills. The two teams went back and forth tying four times in the second half of the set. The Warriors went up 22-20, when Susie Jonas (Harrison, Ohio/Harrison) took advantage of an assist from Elliott and scored the last point for the Eagles in the first set. The Warriors took the next three, ending the set up one.
The opening point in the second set went to the Warriors, but after two kills, one from Snider, the other from Baley Bernthisel (Grand Rapids, Ohio / Otsego) the Eagles were up 3-1. The Warriors won four straight points putting them up 5-3. AU's senior duo tried to stop the run when Elliott set up Snider for the kill, but Winona State won three unanswered points making the score 8-4. The Warriors had three of their six errors in a row after being up 10-6, allowing the Eagles to make up ground. Jonas added a kill, one of three in the match, helping the Eagles make the score 11-10. A kill from Elliott to Snider tied the match at 11, after a short back-and-forth rally the teams were tied at 13.
The Warriors won the majority of the rallies after the teams were tied. Winona went up 24-19 looking for set point. Marci Zegarac (Lansing, Ill. / South) came through with an ace bringing the Eagles within one of the Warriors. Elliott set up Bernthisel for the kill and the set was tied at 24-24. The set ended with the Eagles on top after two attack errors from Winona State.
The third set was another close one for the Eagles, again playing from behind at the start. The Warriors went up 2-0, adding two errors to help Ashland get the set tied. Snider was set by Zagarac and the score was 4-2 in favor of the Eagles. Neither team won more than two consecutive points and the score went to 8-8. Ashland took control then, winning the next four points. The teams went back and forth again and Ashland was the team to hit the 20-point mark first after an attack error from Winona State. The Eagles went ahead, 21-15 and lost the next two points, Elliott smacked down a kill from Zagarac making the score 22-17. Snider and Elliott teamed up again to get the Eagles to set point, Winona scored three in a row and the score was 24-23. It was the two seniors who closed the set as Elliott set up Snider for the kill to end it 25-23.
The Eagles stunned the Warriors in the fourth set making a quick run to double digits. Winona tried to make up the 10-2 difference, adding two points before a kill from Snider ended the short run. The Warriors tried getting within seven points bringing the score to 17-10, but could not find a way to stop the Eagles' effort in what would be the final set. Winona scored only four more points in the match, and fell to the Eagles, 25-14.
The Eagles tallied 41 kills in their first match in the Truman State Days Inn Bulldog Invitational, and added 148 total attacks. The Eagles added 36 assists, two solo blocks, 10 block assists, and seven aces.
Ashland looks to improve to 2-0 on the day and the season when it takes the court again on Friday against Missouri–St. Louis.
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